A suite of large-scale interactive video works which allow viewers to call in from their cellphones to further the narrative.

Today technology-based solutions need to address not only the problems on hand, but also devise solutions taking into consideration social, cultural, economical, and technologically factors that need to be conducive for the environment in which they are to be deployed. Mobile phones, like other ICTs, are not merely tools used to help connect individuals but have today empowered and strengthened the economically backward communities to create economic opportunities and increase social ties. The September 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review captured the essence of the report- Serving the World’s Poor, Profitably by CK Prahalad and Hammond, in this way :
By stimulating commerce and development at the bottom of the economic pyramid, multinationals could radically improve the lives of billions of people and help create a more stable, less dangerous world.

Mobile phones now offer an attractive solution to many rural poor individuals to use the phone for more than just communication due to its general accessibility. Looking at the phenomenal growth of mobile usage by lower income group people, rich information interfaces and services supported by MNCs will go a long way in sustainable economic growth. The mobile phone will play a very important role in stimulating this development and the KAAMKAJ project is once such attempt. I seek to use this compelling technological intervention to design, build and test a voice based service that caters to the needs of small vendors and micro-businesses.

The United States incarcerates criminals at a higher rate and in greater volume than any country in the world. One in 100 Americans are currently behind bars, a large number of whom are non-violent offenders. Two of the greatest factors in predicting whether an inmate will return to prison are education and literacy–and yet the penal system uses isolation as its greatest tool for punishment, essentially guaranteeing a high rate of recidivism. Meanwhile, exorbitant costs for dialing in and out of prison cut inmates off from their tenuous connection to society and the world. How can we use technology to put inmates back in contact with the world, so they will be less isolated, more socially active, and ultimately less likely to return to prison?

The United States incarcerates criminals at a higher rate and in greater volume than any country in the world. One in 100 Americans are currently behind bars, a large number of whom are non-violent offenders. Two of the greatest factors in predicting whether an inmate will return to prison are education and literacy–and yet the penal system uses isolation as its greatest tool for punishment, essentially guaranteeing a high rate of recidivism. Meanwhile, exorbitant costs for dialing in and out of prison cut inmates off from their tenuous connection to society and the world. How can we use technology to put inmates back in contact with the world, so they will be less isolated, more socially active, and ultimately less likely to return to prison?

What: A physical installation in Union Square, New York City, as well as an accompanying website. The physical installation consists of an electronic display, a microphone & speakers, and a laptop running a special software application. The event will have three methods of interaction.

1) Speaking: Speakers get three minutes to talk. They will also have a portion of the display showing their name, their chosen topic/subject/question/whatever, and their time remaining.

2) Voting: The crowd is prompted to vote (via cellphone) on whether the speaker should have more time, or if it is time for a new speaker. As long as a speaker keeps a (growing) majority of the votes, he keeps the mic. The software makes it so that speakers have to win an increasing majority each round, in order to tip the scales towards new voices. But, if a speaker is compelling/interesting, it’s possible he could retain the mic for 15 minutes or more.

3) Live Response: Between one speaker and the next, there will be an opportunity for audience members to respond to the speaker (or talk about whatever they want) live, for up to 30 seconds at a time, by calling a designated local number using their cellphones (or a phone provided onsite).

This event is open to any member of the public who wishes to speak. The allowed formats, topics, and any other rules of the event (including whether or not there should be rules) are going to be debated & determined on the website during the two weeks preceding the event. All are welcome to participate.

When: The event will occur on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, from 4-8pm. The debate about content & formats is ongoing. The intent is to hold recurring events approximately every two weeks all through the summer, leading up to the election in November. This, however, depends on NYC Parks’ Department permission.

Where: Union Square (map), New York City. Online at www.AskUnionSquare.com

How: The software application is a collection of PHP scripts that interact with Asterisk, an open source PBX (Public Branch Exchange). Asterisk routes incoming phone calls to different extensions, and depending on the desired interaction, actions a different PHP script to execute it.

Mobile Karaoke is a mobile application using a Nokia phone and the J2ME programming language that allows users to sing karaoke with their mobile phone devices in a playful way. It requires players to sing along with the music in order to score points. In this application, a user can choose between three main modes: regular singing, shout out singing and recording music video.
In the regular singing mode, the user follows the song\’s pitch displayed as dots on different positions like a music staff. The singing should also correspond to the lyrics shown on the bottom of the screen. This application analyzes the player’s pitch and compares them to the original song track. The player gets scored based on how accurate the singing is. A high or low score determines the qualification to get into the next level.
In the shout out singing option, the user follows the regular singing\’s rule and has a chance to shout out some of the lyrics at different parts of the song. When the song comes to the shout out part, the player is scored base on how loud the singing is.
The game records videos of the player when they choose the recording music video function. This option is only available on phones with a built-in camera. Once the recording is complete, the video can then be saved to the cell phone memory and sent to friends or uploaded it to the Mobile Karaoke website. On the website, users can rate each others performances and choose the best singer and leave comments on other people\’s profiles.
Mobile Karaoke makes singing more playful and on the go. Not only does it let players sing when they are happy, but the shout out mode can also let players sing a song in a pressured or depressed moment to help them release their stresses. Moreover, with the video clips uploaded by users and the social networking components (rating/ voting/commenting the video) on the website, Mobile Karaoke seeks to bring the relation between people closer through sharing their feelings and experiences.

Mobile Karaoke is a mobile application using a Nokia phone and the J2ME programming language that allows users to sing karaoke with their mobile phone devices in a playful way. It requires players to sing along with the music in order to score points. In this application, a user can choose between three main modes: regular singing, shout out singing and recording music video.
In the regular singing mode, the user follows the song\’s pitch displayed as dots on different positions like a music staff. The singing should also correspond to the lyrics shown on the bottom of the screen. This application analyzes the player’s pitch and compares them to the original song track. The player gets scored based on how accurate the singing is. A high or low score determines the qualification to get into the next level.
In the shout out singing option, the user follows the regular singing\’s rule and has a chance to shout out some of the lyrics at different parts of the song. When the song comes to the shout out part, the player is scored base on how loud the singing is.
The game records videos of the player when they choose the recording music video function. This option is only available on phones with a built-in camera. Once the recording is complete, the video can then be saved to the cell phone memory and sent to friends or uploaded it to the Mobile Karaoke website. On the website, users can rate each others performances and choose the best singer and leave comments on other people\’s profiles.
Mobile Karaoke makes singing more playful and on the go. Not only does it let players sing when they are happy, but the shout out mode can also let players sing a song in a pressured or depressed moment to help them release their stresses. Moreover, with the video clips uploaded by users and the social networking components (rating/ voting/commenting the video) on the website, Mobile Karaoke seeks to bring the relation between people closer through sharing their feelings and experiences.

Pocket Learning is an experiment on mobile education. It is an application for the iPhone with example lessons on taking better pictures with the iPhone.
The lessons use short procedural instructions, self-paced lessons, interactive examples and participatory exercises to demonstrate the potential of the platform. Users interested in the topic can also participate by submitting their photographs to be reviewed by their peers or experts in the subject matter.
The application is designed to take advantage of the rich multi-media capabilities of the iPhone, its intuitive and revolutionary interface, as well as its connectivity and many sensors (camera, tilt-sensor, geo-positioning).

LivelyHood is a web application, where children explore perceptions of community, by drawing a map of their neighborhood, composed of the static structures and moving bodies that are a part of their day to day experience. A content uploading feature allows for the placement of relevant photos and text onto a separate layer of the map. The maps serve as location-based blogs that are continually updated by the child, with the intent of giving them a voice in urban planning.

PostFort is a private mobile content aggregator with a flexible, intuitive interface.